The year 2004 has been a year of significant changes at Lifeline, Inc.

In February the decision was made to begin looking for new office space. Consolidated Investments offered a deal that was too good to pass by: they would completely build out an office from scratch for us—at no additional cost. So, in July the agency moved from its previous location to a beautifully designed new office at 8 N. State St. in Painesville. Much appreciation is due to Consolidated Investments for their cooperation and for such a wonderful opportunity.

The agency’s management has also seen drastic changes. Several new Board of Trustees members have come to serve providing new and needed ideas to the agency. And, I was appointed the new Executive Director in September. I’ve worked in community action for over 3 years now and it is changing every day. The challenge of keeping up with the changes, the community’s needs and the need for growth for a small agency are intimidating, but exciting.

In October, the Ohio Department of Development, Office of Community Services began implementation of its new National Performance Standards, in place of its previous ROMA measurements. This is also a challenge for everyone involved. After several years of learning the ROMA guidelines and altering one’s way of thinking, a whole new way to report outcome measures has been introduced. And while incredibly time-consuming and frustrating at first, these new performance standards will allow Lifeline to more accurately measure the outcomes of its programs and the customers that we serve. This in turn will lead to better program development in the future.

In preparing the 2005 Community Services Block Grant budget and application, the Lifeline Board and staff took the initiative to make many sweeping programmatic changes for ’05. Nearly all emergency programs have been eliminated or down-sized to allow more funds for self-sufficiency programming. It is our hope that by helping people in a more long-term manner, we will be better prepared to fight the war on poverty. More attention was given to providing families with security deposits—we feel it is important that they not only have safe and affordable housing, but also recognize their rights as tenants. So, in addition to helping financially, we are also providing them with Fair Housing guidelines. More attention is also being given to the state of healthcare in Lake County. In collaboration with the Lake County Free Medical Clinic, the Family Planning Association of Northeastern Ohio and Lake Hospital System, Lifeline’s prescription assistance program has been expanded to cover medical services such as blood tests, mammograms and ultrasounds for under or uninsured families. Family Development also remains a priority of Lifeline’s. This program allows for such dramatic progress and change for a family and is at the very core of Lifeline’s mission.

In spring 2005, the Board and staff of Lifeline will re-examine its 2003 strategic plan and re-evaluate the needs of the agency, the community and the families that we serve so that we can continue to provide the most needed services in the immediate future.

                                                                                     Sincerely,
                                                                                     Carrie Dotson
                                                                                     Director Lifeline, Inc.